what did I do wrong and when to correct?

My first year with SFG and all new (mostly) Mel's mix. Also tried the string method for tomatoes and cut off as many suckers as I could. Here are my observations. All plants from nursery containers, not from seed. Bush beans wildly successful and still producing. 2 Zucchini plants were huge with tons of flowers but hardly any vegetables between them. Kale and Basil did great. Tomatoes big disappointment. Tasted great and fruit a bit bigger but plants were spindly, leaves and stems started to yellow a bit at the bottom. Cucumbers also a disappointment, again not many produced. Eggplants and Peppers, same issue, lots of flowers but hardly and product.  Live in NY and had a ton of rain this year. Lots of bees and white butterflies so pollination should not have been a problem. 

I might try to plant some kale seeds but in general was wondering if I should amend the soil now after I pull out all the vegetables or wait till the spring or do both. I plan on adding composted cow manure, earth worm castings, mushroom compost and a product called Sustane Concentrated Compost. 

Your guidance greatly appreciated....  Steve




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stevenfstein wrote:I might try to plant some kale seeds but in general was wondering if I should amend the soil now after I pull out all the vegetables or wait till the spring or do both. I plan on adding composted cow manure, earth worm castings, mushroom compost and a product called Sustane Concentrated Compost.

Rather than thinking "amend the soil" think "refresh the soil with compost". The answer to that is "Yes", as you remove plants, refresh the bed with compost to replace what was used by the plants. If you have not already purchased the Sustane, you would be well to not purchase any. If you have already purchased it, wait until next spring to apply it. The Sustane really does not provide anything not already available in the composts you are using.

Rather than pull out the vegetable plants, cut them off at soil level and let the microbes feed on them over the winter. Those roots will both add to the organic matter in the soil, and improve the microbial activity.

In general, the successes/failures you listed are very good for the first year garden using Mel's Mix - it takes about a year for the microbial activity in the various composts to bread down the organic matter and make the nutrients plant-available. With the composts already in the mix, and the ones you are adding this fall, the soil will be much more nutrient rich for next year's gardens.

Much appreciated. So when I add the compost and other materials to the garden, leaving in the root balls, do I just lay the material on top or mix it into the soil, not disturbing the root balls.

Thanks... Steve

stevenfstein wrote:Much appreciated. So when I add the compost and other materials to the garden, leaving in the root balls, do I just lay the material on top or mix it into the soil, not disturbing the root balls.

Yes.  Then next spring apply a little more compost and use a hand cultivator to work it into the top 2" to 3" of soil, and you're ready to plant again.

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That looks like a pretty good garden to me!

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Been reading stevenfstein post about his new sfg....Mine is also new as of January 31 and expect it may not be in best form before spring planting around 3rd week in March here in northwest louisiana..

Here is what I've been doing and maybe it will help stevenfstein and others now to this like me...

First when putting together MelsMix I also added some store bought worm casting throughout the mix. Maybe around 30lbs total top to bottom.

I also just made a big batch of worm casting tea and sprinkled it in and over my one sfg. Not sure how effective the tea was as it has been pretty cold...like down in the 20's this past week. That's cold for us anyway..

Also have some em-1 and may add it also when ready..

Just trying to give my sfg a little kickstart before spring planting time.
Scottie

What is em-1? Microbes? The best thing for increasing microbes is compost and the roots of plants. Worm castings and worm castings tea is okay.

sanderson wrote:What is em-1?  Microbes?  The best thing for increasing microbes is compost and the roots of plants.  Worm castings and worm castings tea is okay.  

Isn't the microbes in em-1 what I would want to put in my sfg? I have a quarts of the stuff activating inside now.

No roots yet as this is my first sfg but will leave them in after the plants have finished producing. I will also spray my plants with worm casting tea as they mature.

Scottie

Hawgwild wrote:

sanderson wrote:What is em-1?  Microbes?  The best thing for increasing microbes is compost and the roots of plants.  Worm castings and worm castings tea is okay.  

Isn't the microbes in em-1 what I would want to put in my sfg? I have a quarts of the stuff activating inside now.

A soil drench with an EM-1 solution will increase the microbial activity in the soil for a "quick fix", but normally isn't needed. I am a regular user of compost tea during the growing season, and add EM-1 to it for foliar spray on a monthly basis.

IMHO you could save your Benjamin's and just soak the soil with watered-down molasses and let the carb-hungry microbes feast on it, multiply, and help break the organics down enough to "set the table" for the mycorrhyzae (beneficial symbiotic fungus). It's a subterranean banquet with compost for the main of course.

Yardslave wrote:... just soak the soil with watered-down molasses and let the carb-hungry microbes feast on it, multiply, ...

Ah hah! So that's how you came to be in Carmel Valley!

(  Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll just slink off now ...)

  

Form my point of view being a new sfg er, leafy vegetables do awesome in new beds, fruiting plants seem to be on the light side of vegetable production.

People have pointed out to me it could be microbial life and I think that is right, plants in my garden beds have provided lots of fruit albeit small the sfg beds have produced no more than 1 fruit per plant and they are on the larger side, will be interesting what happens next year

Simso wrote:Form my point of view being a new sfg er, leafy vegetables do awesome in new beds, fruiting plants seem to be on the light side of vegetable production.

People have pointed out to me it could be microbial life and I think that is right, plants in my garden beds have provided lots of fruit albeit small the sfg beds have produced no more than 1 fruit per plant and they are on the larger side, will be interesting what happens next year

As your soil develops in the beds, you will see a tremendous increase fruit production as well as root crops and leafy greens.  All of my beds are highly productive of all fruiting vegetables. Such as these peppers:

Newbie here.  Just building beds. 

Talk of no fruits on tomatoes and peppers and such the first year in a SFG...
lots of plant, one flower, no fruit...   can't be nitrogen overload...

I do understand the soil micro-biome has to develop over some time...
... and I also know I need to feed my family. 
This year.  How do I find the compromise?  I will need a harvest.

Is this because Mel's Mix is soilless, can vermiculite and peat moss
be considered sterile, giving only 1/3 of the mix productive?  Probably not. 
I will need to understand.  And to jumpstart if I'm relying on these beds.
Help?

Two (2) inches of real compost is all that is needed to feed most plants.  Some, like tomatoes and corn, can have such a long season that top dressing with more compost mid season may be needed.

If the Mel's Mix was made with inferior, wannabe composts, or was not screened of wood pieces, a half dose of an organic fertilizer such as Espoma Garden-tone may help.  But, do not use regular fertilizer!  You have a choice, go SFG with composts and healthy living soil, or do traditional gardening with fertilizers and hurt the soil health.

This book is a good read on the micro life in the soil.